Looking for a fun and festive non-alcoholic drink to serve this holiday season? This adorable Santa Hat Shirley Temple is the sweetest Christmas mocktail and guaranteed to be a hit with both kids and adults. It tastes just like the classic Shirley Temple everyone loves, but with a holiday twist—complete with a fluffy whipped-cream “Santa hat” and that signature cherry on top. It’s refreshing, family-friendly, and almost too cute to drink!
Santa Hat Shirley Temple Drink is perfect for celebrating Christmas and the festive season! This adorable Christmas Shirley Temple drink is a delicious mocktail that will impress all your guests! Made with Ginger Ale, cranberry juice, grenadine, and vanilla sweet cream, this is one Christmas mocktail that you'll want to trim the tree with!
Looking for more Christmas recipes? Make my Baked Christmas Donuts Recipe | Glazed and Homemade, a fun and healthier take on traditional donuts. Candy Cane Caprese Salad is always a crowd-pleaser. Or how about a delicious Homemade Eggnog Latte Recipe | Better Than Starbucks Need a sweet treat? My Sugar Plum Cheese Danish | Starbucks Copycat Recipe is easy to make and saves you money on repeat Starbucks trips. Craving a cookie latte? Try my Christmas Latte | Delicious Warm Spiced Coffee Recipe we love Christmas drinks around here!
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this homemade Christmas Shirley Temple drink!
- 🎅🏽 Ingredients for Santa Hat Shirley Temple
- What's in a Santa Hat Shirley Temple?
- 🎅🏽 How to Make a Santa Hat Shirley Temple
- Tips and Tricks for the perfect Christmas Shirley Temple
- What's a Canadian Shirley Temple?
- ✨ Make It a Grown-Up Shirley Temple
- 🎄More Christmas Recipes
- Pin or send this recipe to a friend!
- Follow Us
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why you'll love this homemade Christmas Shirley Temple drink!
✨ This delectable drink is creamy + nostalgic.
🎄 Holiday-themed without being complicated
🍒 Christmas Shirley Temple is made with simple ingredients
👨👩👧 This mocktail is totally kid-friendly
🎅🏽 Ingredients for Santa Hat Shirley Temple
What's in a Santa Hat Shirley Temple?
- Ginger Ale: You can also use lemon lime soda or the classic 7-Up for this recipe. I like to use Ginger Ale because I think it's make it taste stronger and more crispy. Use what you want!
- Cranberry Juice: Cranberry Juice adds a lovely tart flavor to this Christmas drink.
- Grenadine: You can't make a Shirley Temple without it!
- Vanilla Sweet Cream: Completely optional, but I love the flavor and color the Vanilla sweet cream gives this iconic drink.
- Ice: Santa didn't live in the North Pole for nothing! But the more ice the better. A classic Shirley Temple you would get in a restaurant is made with loads of ice.
- Whipped Cream: Whipped Cream is what makes the Santa Hat and the closer to God, the better! 😂
- Christmas Sprinkles: I love Christmas Sprinkles on any Christmas drink or dessert. They make everything that much more festive!
- Maraschino Cherries: Again, it's not a classic Shirley Temple without Maraschino Cherries.
- Santa Face Glass Mugs: I was lucky to score mine back in August from Target Bullseye Playground, but these dupes are pretty close to the ones I found.
See full recipe card below for exact quantities
🎅🏽 How to Make a Santa Hat Shirley Temple
Step 1
Step 1: Fill two festive glasses with ice. Pour 1-cup of ginger ale into each glass.
Step 2
Step 2: Add ¼ cup cranberry juice to each glass and swirl until combined.
Step 3
Step 3: Add 2 tablespoon grenadine to each and gently swirl. Drizzle 2 tablespoon vanilla sweet cream on top to create a Santa hat “fluffy edge.” This also makes the drink a gorgeous light cranberry color. The vanilla sweet cream addition is completely optional! I've done one here with the vanilla sweet cream and one without.
Step 4
Step 4: Add a big swirl of whipped cream to make the “Santa hat.”
Add a pinch of Christmas sprinkles for sparkle on top of the whipped cream.
Top with a cherry (the hat pom-pom!) and serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks for the perfect Christmas Shirley Temple
- Use ice cold ginger ale so the cream layers beautifully
- Add extra whipped cream for a taller Santa hat
- You can swap with lemon-lime soda or 7-up if you prefer!
Yes! This drink is 100% alcohol-free, making it a great holiday drink for children and adults. It’s a fun option for Christmas celebrations, Santa parties, and family movie nights.
You can mix the ginger ale, grenadine, and cranberry juice ahead of time and keep it refrigerated. For the best presentation, add the vanilla sweet cream, whipped cream, and cherry right before serving to keep the Santa-hat look fresh and fluffy.
Absolutely. Simply replace the vanilla sweet cream with a dairy-free creamer such as almond milk creamer, coconut cream, or oat milk creamer. The drink will still taste sweet and creamy with a festive holiday look.
Traditional Shirley Temples use ginger ale, but you can also make this recipe with lemon-lime soda (such as Sprite or 7-Up) if you prefer a lighter flavor. Ginger ale helps create the best bubbly texture for the whipped-cream Santa hat.
What's a Canadian Shirley Temple?
- Did you know that Canada makes their Shirley Temple with Orange Juice? I was today years old when I learned Canadians make their Shirley Temples with orange juice instead of ginger ale 🍊🤯 And now I can’t stop thinking about trying a Canadian Christmas Shirley Temple this year. Apparently it’s a whole thing up north—and honestly, I love that for them 🇨🇦❄️✨
✨ Make It a Grown-Up Shirley Temple
If you want to turn this into an adult holiday cocktail, here are some delicious options: Or as they say on Gilmore Girls: "I'm having a Shirley Temple Black!" 😉
- Vodka – classic and clean
- Cherry vodka – sweeter and more festive
- Rum – adds warm, cozy flavor
- Prosecco – bubbly and elegant
- Gin – botanical + refreshing
Mix 1–2 ounces directly into the glass and enjoy responsibly! 🎄🍒✨
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About Genevieve
Thank you for stopping by Fitty Foodlicious, a website dedicated to sharing lasting, family recipes, anxiety tips and tricks, and healthy spirited mental wellness. Genevieve's recipes have been featured on MSN.com, NewsBreak, Food Talk Daily, Food Gawker, Trivet Recipes, Bartender.com, Health Magazine, Kitchen Aid AU NZ, and has a published Cookbook titled The 5-Ingredient Paleo Cookbook which can be purchased at all major bookstores and on Amazon.
📖 Recipe
Santa Hat Shirley Temple
Ingredients
- 2 cups Ice
- 2 cans Ice Cold Ginger Ale, divided
- ½ cup Cranberry Juice, divided
- 2 tablespoon Grenadine, divided
- ½ cup Vanilla Sweet Cream, Divided
- Whipped Cream to make the Santa Hat
- Christmas Sprinkles
- Maraschino Cherries
Instructions
- Fill two festive glasses with ice. Pour 1-cup of ginger ale into each glass.
- Add ¼ cup cranberry juice to each glass and swirl until combined.
- Add 2 tablespoon grenadine to each and gently swirl. Drizzle 2 tablespoon vanilla sweet cream on top to create a Santa hat “fluffy edge.” This also makes the drink a gorgeous light cranberry color. The vanilla sweet cream addition is completely optional! I've done one here with the vanilla sweet cream and one without.
- Add a big swirl of whipped cream to make the “Santa hat.”
- Add a pinch of Christmas sprinkles for sparkle on top of the whipped cream.
- Top with a cherry (the hat pom-pom!) serve immediately and enjoy!
Leslie
There's so much I love about this recipe! First those mugs are adorable! Second, I really appreciate that this is a Mocktail! So festive and fun for everyone!
Nora
This is absolutely adorable!!! Such a fun and festive twist on a classic Shirley Temple. Do you have a tip to keep the whipped cream ‘hat’ from sinking too fast?